5 (or 7) Things The Emerging Church Got Wrong
September 16, 2008
Just read this post on Andrew Jones’ Tall Skinny Kiwi. I think you should go check it out. Andrew took a poll a couple of weeks ago and decided to stop using the term “Emerging Church”. Now he’s discussing some things that the movement can use to improve itself, and I think he (and the article he’s referencing) bring up some good points.
So check it out:
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1 Comment to 5 (or 7) Things The Emerging Church Got Wrong
by Ben Hammond
On January 16, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Are you part of the American Emerging Church or the Australian Emerging church? I have no idea what the Australia Emerging church does (though perhaps this article brings some of that to light… I don’t know), but many of these critiques I do not think would apply to the “Emerging Church” or the “Emergent Church” in America and in other parts of western culture – at the least that parts of it that I move with. For instance, I think that the Emerging Church people that I move with have an understanding that international in 3rd world countries, and in the west are pretty much the same. Because if someone thinks that it’s easy to be incarnational to a group of people in africa, then they are prabably doing it wrong… and making some sociologist turn over in their grave. Whether it’s in the west or in the 3rd (or majority world) incarnational has to be… living with people… a Roman to the Romans. Which means that you become accustomed to swimming in rushing waters of changing culture in the west. I also don’t think that it’s a much pushed by culture as he suggests… because many of those groups that are calling themselves emerging churches, I believe, are simply using the term wrongly. Willowcreek, for instance, is not Emerging… nor is Sattleback with Rick Warren for that matter. Perhaps you could call them Emergent, but not Emerging. Mark Driscoll is not Emerging. You could ever argue that Rob Bell is not Emerging (though I would say that he could be considered Emergent). Over cultural reaction has something do with it, and perhaps has too much to do with some individuals… but many of the people who are trying to blaze new trails are doing this out of other motivations.
I would say that the low Fuel tank thing is certainly a valid thing that we need to get our heads around… it’s very easy to see how that can be destructive. But, the church that I am a part of… not Emerging I don’t think, but Emergent perhaps… has grown by about 20% a year for the past 3 yrs or so and most of them are not sheep running from other churchs… so perhaps that’s an issue that should be taken up with the Emerging church’s that seem to mostly be make up of burnt out Christians.
Most of the Emerging church movement that I’ve been a part of is very post-modern, not wed to gen-x culture – but that’s just my experience.